Car-fender.



No. 813,632. PATENTED FEB. 27, 1906.

F. J'. FAIROHILD.

CAR FENDER. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21, 1905.

2 SHEETS-BREE?! 1.

WITNESSES. INVENTOR.

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No. 813,632. PATENTED FEB. 27, 1906.

P. J. PAIRGHILD.

GAR FENDER.

APPLICATION FILED mm 21, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUTOMATIC CAR FENDER CO.,

OF WYANDO'ITE, MICHIGAN.

CAR-FENDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 27, 1906.

Application filed June 21, 1905. Serial No. 266,245.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK J. FAIROHILD, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Fenders, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in fenders for street-railway cars; and its object is to provide means for pivotally attaching the fender to the car and normally supporting the same at a height above the track in such a manner as to leave the fender unobstructed and so that when automatically released the same will instantly fall bodily to a point just above the level of the rails and to provide means adapted to be operated by contact with an object on the track to release the fender, which means are so arranged as to be protected by said fender against being accidentally operated by an object not in the path of the car and also against being broken or displaced.

It is also an object of the invention to so construct the means for attaching the fender to the car that said fender may be attached in a high or low position relative to the car or may be secured near to or at a distance from its front, as the construction of the car and circumstances may require, and to provide the device with certain other new and useful features, all as hereinafter more fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a device embodying the invention; Fig. 2, a longitudinal vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view of one end of the fender with parts in section, and Fig. 4 is a detail showing a rear elevation of one of the hanger-plates and attached parts.

As shown in the drawings, 1 is the forward or lower section of the fender, and 2 the upper section, which is hinged thereto at 3, and both are formed of angle-iron frames, consisting of suitably-curved side bars 4 and cross-bars 5, riveted thereto, and a network 6, consisting of interwoven flexible sheetmetal strips riveted at their ends to the said angle-bars. Section 1 of the fender is provided near its upper rear edge with two cars 7 at each end, and secured between these ears are pivot bolts 8, adapted to engage bearing-openings in the horizontally-extendingsupporting bars' 9, which are formed with downwardly-curved outer ends 10 to engage beneath the fender and support the same in the proper position relative to said bars. Two angle-bars 11 extend across the frarnel in a position to be engaged by said curved ends of the supporting-bars and form a bearing therefor, said ends being notched to receive the projecting flange of one of said bars.

Each supporting-bar 9 is provided with a longitudinal row of holes 12 near its rear end to receive a pivot-bolt 13, which bolts pass through openings 14 in hanger-plates 15, bolted to the lower side of the car-body, one near each side near its forward end, and pivotally attach the said bars to the hangers. Near its forward edge each hanger-plate is provided with a slot 16, curved concentric with the opening 14, and each supportingbar is provided with a second longitudinal row of holes 17 to receive a guide bolt 18, which extends loosely through said slot 16.

To hold the forward end of each supporting-bar raised with the bolt 18 in the upper end of its slot 16, a toggle-lever 19 is pivotally attached at one end to the hanger-plate some distance below the bar and at its opposite end to the bar by a pivot-pin engaging one of a series of openings 20 in said bar, and to hold the toggle-lever extended, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, a pin 2 1 is projected through an opening in said hanger-plate into the path of the toggle. At the side of each hangerplate opposite that to which the supportingbars are secured is a horizontally-extending lever 22, to the forward end of which said pin 21 is pivotally attached, and said lever is pivoted intermediate its ends upon a post 23, secured to the hanger to rock thereon toward and from the plate at each end and project the pin into or retract the same from the path of the toggle. Interposed between the rear end of each lever and the hanger-plate is a coiled spring 24, which exerts a force to rock the lever on its post and hold the pinprojected through the hanger-plate into the path of the toggle, and stop-pins 25 on the levers are adapted to engage the hanger-plates and limit the compression of said springs.

To the forward end of each angle-bar 4 of the fender is secured a forwardly-extending bracket 26, within each of which brackets is journaled a pulley 27, and over these pulleys is passed a cable or rope 28 in a manner to extend horizontally across the forward side of the fender and at some distance from its forward edge. From these pulleys the cable extends rearwardly within the angle-iron side bars 4 of the fender, over pulleys 34, journaled in suitable brackets secured to said bars, upward and over pulleys 29, journaled on the pivot-bolts 8, rearward and around pulleys 30, journaled on vertical shafts 31, supported in suitable brackets 32, secured to the hanger-plates, and thence inward and secured at its ends to the rear ends of the levers 22.

The cable extending across in advance of the fender will strike any obstruction on the track and be pushed toward the fender or deflected thereby and will thus pull 011 the rear ends of the levers 22, compressing the springs 24 and rocking said levers until the pins 21 are withdrawn from the path of the toggles 19 which will then double up and permit the supporting-bars to drop until the guide-bolts 18 engage the lower ends of the slots 16. In this position of the parts the fender will be supported very close to the rails, as shown in Fig. 1. The springs are of such strength that Weeds or other light obstructions will not offer sufficient resistance to compress them, and by providing the stop pins 25, should one spring be stronger than the other, as soon as the weak spring has been compressed sufficiently to withdraw the pin at that side the compression of said spring is stopped, and the tension of the rope will then compress the stronger spring, thus insuring the release of the fender. A turnbuckle 33 is inserted in the rope to take up and slack and keep the same drawn tight across the front of the fender.

Two rows of holes 12 and 17 are provided in the supporting-bars, so that said bars may be adjusted longitudinally to support the fender closer to or farther from the car, and two or more sets of holes and slots may be provided in each hanger-plate, so that said su porting-bars and other parts may be raised orTowered, the pulley 30 being adjustable on its shaft to provide for such adjustment.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a car-fender, the combination with a suitably-curved fender-frame having pivots at its rear side, of horizontally-extending supporting-bars adapted to be secured to a car and provided with bearings for the said pivots, and downwardly-extending ends on said bars adapted to engage the lower side of the frame and support the same in its extended position in the desired position above the track.

frame is adapted to be attached, means for piv -otally attaching said bars to the body of the car near their rear ends to permit a vertical movement of their forward ends, and means carried by the body of the car fornormally supporting said forward ends of the bars in their raised position and permitting the same to fall to lower the fender-frame.

3. In a car-fender, the combination with a fender-frame, of horizontally-extending supporting-bars to the forward ends of which the frame is pivotally attached forming the sole supports for said frame, downwardly-extending ends on said bars adapted to engage beneath the frame to support the same in a position relative to the bars, and means-for supporting the bars and permitting the same to fall to lower the frame.

4. In a car-fender, the combination with a fender-frame, of supporting-bars to the forward ends of which said frame is pivotally attached and adapted to be pivotally attached near their rear ends to a car, means for supporting the forward ends of said bars in their raised position, and means operated by contact with an obstacle in the path of the car for actuating said supporting means to permit the bars to drop and lower the fenderframe.

5. In a car-fender, the combination with a fender-frame, of supporting-bars adapted to be pivotally secured near their rear ends to a car to rise and fall at their forward ends and to the forward ends of which the frame is pivotally attached, means for limiting the downward movement of said bars to support the same in their lowered position, means for supporting said bars in their raised position and for releasing the same, and a cable extending across the forward side of the fender-frame for operating the supporting means.

6. In a car-fender, the combination with a fender-frame, of means adapted to be pivot ally attached to a car to rise and fall relative to the car and forming the sole support for the frame, means for supporting said means in a raised position, and a cable extending across the forward side of the frame to contact obstructions in the path of the car and to be operated by such contact to release the said supporting means for the bars and permit the same to drop.

7. In a car-fender, the combination with a fender-frame, of hangers secured to the car, supporting-bars to the forward ends of which the frame is attached pivotally secured to said hangers near their rear ends, toggle-joints for supporting the forward ends 0 said bars in their raised positions, means for holding said tog le extended to support said bars, and a cab e connected to said holding means to IIO move the same out of the path of the toggles and extending across the front of the fenderframe at a distance in advance thereof.

8. In a car-fender, the combination with a fender-frame, of means for supporting said frame pivotally attached to a car to turn on said pivots and lower the fender-frame, supporting means to hold said means raised and to permit the same to fall, pulleys journaled on the fender-frame at the forward corners thereof, pulleys at each side of the frame near the rear thereof, a cable adapted to operate said supporting means and extending across the forward side of the frame, around said pulleys at the forward corners, rearward beneath the side bars of the frame and over the rear pulleys.

9. In a carfender, the combination with a fender-frame of hangers secured to the car and each provided with an opening and a slot curved concentrically with said opening, supportingbars to the forward ends of which the frame is attached, pivot-bolts for said bars extending through the openings in the hangers, guide-bolts carried by said bars engaging the slots, toggle joints pivotally attached at one end to the hangers and at their opposite ends to the bars, and pins adapted to be projected into the path of the toggles to hold the same extended.

10. In a carfender, the combination with a fender-frame, of hangers adapted to be secured to a car, supporting-bars to the forward ends of which the frame is attached pivotally secured near their rear ends to the said hangers, toggle-joints pivotally attached at one end to the hangers and at their opposite end to the bars, pins adapted to be projected through openings in said hangers into the path of said toggle-joints, levers pivoted intermediate their ends and attached at one end to said pins, and a cable attached to the opposite ends of said levers and extended forward and across the forward side of the fender-frame.

11. Ina car-fender, the combination with a fender-frame, of hangers adapted to be secured to a car, supporting bars to the forward ends of which the frame is attached, pivotally secured near their rear ends to the said hangers, means for supporting the forward ends of said bars, pins adapted to hold said means, le'vers pivoted intermediate their ends on the hangers and attached at one end to said pins, springs interposed between the opposite ends of said levers and the hangers, stops to limit the movement of the levers, and a cable secured at its ends to the ends of said levers and extended forward and across the forward side of the said frame.

12. In a car-fender, the combination with a fender-frame, of hangers adapted to be secured to a car, supporting-bars to the forward ends of which the frame is pivotally attached, pivoted near their rear ends to said hangers, toggle-joints for supporting the bars at their forward ends, pins extending through the hanger, levers pivoted upon a post on the hangers intermediate their ends and to one end of which levers the said pins are attached, a coiled spring interposed between the opposite ends of said levers and the hangers, stops on the levers to engage the hangers and limit the compression of said springs, brackets supported adjacent to the hangers, pulleys journaled on said brackets, pulleys journaled on the said fender-frame near its four corners, a cable passing over all of said pulleys and secured at its ends to the levers, and a turnbuckle in the cable.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK J. FAIROHILD. Witnesses:

OTTO F. BARTHEL, JosEPH A. NOELKE. 

